


Cinderpelt the Dragonfire Adept

by LeilaSRose



Category: Dungeons & Dragons (Roleplaying Game), Original Work
Genre: 3.5 edition, Backstory, Elf, F/M, dragonfire adept, tibbit
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-06-14
Updated: 2015-07-19
Packaged: 2018-04-04 08:53:21
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 10,804
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4131606
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LeilaSRose/pseuds/LeilaSRose
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Cinderpelt was just a Tibbit born in the outskirts of Arthon, on the continent of Mandoloor. After multiple incidents and happenings, she hops on a boat to Durubi, a recently discovered new continent, but what is it exactly that led her to abandon her comfortable life in the forest?</p><p>Rated E for later shenanigans</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Naomi

**Author's Note:**

> It's been waaaaay too long since I've written something at all, so sorry in advance if my writing sucks "OTL
> 
> This is based on my character Celia (Cinderpelt) Reuft Emberwhirl Weretheth Argent ("Celia" and last names will be explained at some point) in a D&D campaign I'm playing with some friends online :D
> 
> This is less chapters of a single story and more a story ring/collection of short stories that tell most of a large narrative....? "OTL
> 
> Also, it's marked as explicit for later chapter-story-things XD "OTL
> 
> Constructive criticism is always welcome!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cinderpelt and Naomi seem to be lifelong friends, but what happens when Cinderpelt turns out to be a creature Naomi fears and despises?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wasn't actually planning on going this far back into Cinderpelt's story, but eh. Hope you enjoy!

Cinderpelt was less than one year old and still crawling around with her eyes closed when seven-year-old Naomi Reuft first met her. Naomi was from the village nearby the Tibbit colony and passed by often while looking for flowers or mushrooms to pick. The day she saw the helpless little kitten, she had wandered off further than she had been told she was allowed. There were few flowers and mushrooms to pick, but the writhing mess of paws and fur kept Naomi there for at least a couple hours. When she realized that it was time for her to go home, she promised the fluffball that she would return to play with it tomorrow.

Three years passed in this manner, with Naomi visiting the kitten deep in the forest every day unbeknownst to her parents. When Naomi was ten, she watched as Cinderpelt finally opened her eyes to reveal topaz and playful affection. There were two other cats there, which Naomi assumed were the kitten's mommy and daddy. She celebrated the kitty opening its pretty eyes with flower necklaces and playing with it and its parents. Though “Kitty” was playful and energetic from the start, it seemed to take some time for the mommy and daddy cats to warm up to her. Once they had let her pet them a few times, though, they pranced around with her and even curled up with her when she took a nap in the grass. That was probably the best day of her life.

That night, however, Naomi received news of her father, who was a simple blacksmith in the village. Her father had gone to the capital to collect supplies and sell some of his fancier wares and was on his way back to his village when he was attacked and killed by a pack of Lupines. Her mother had answered the door, wondering if he had forgotten where the key was, to find three villagers standing outside the hut. One handed her his tools, while the other two gave her his remaining personal belongings, along with the promise that he would be cremated with the proper respect. Upon seeing the locket that he had gone through the painstaking effort of learning silversmithing for, she fell to her knees, lacking the emotional energy to cry. That was probably the worst night of Naomi’s life, and it was at that point that Naomi learned to fear and hate were-creatures. To her, they were evil demons that had taken her daddy away from them. Upon hearing rumors that the part of the forest that she had played with Kitty in was littered with were-animals, she refused to go out and play, though she did miss the kitten with the citrine eyes. A year passed in that manner.

Naomi was almost twelve when she saw Kitty again, but the time that had changed Naomi so much seemed to have no effect on the fluffball whatsoever. “Hi, Kitty. Did you miss me?” She wondered how the kitten had made its way to the village with its unsteady gait and oversized paws. She was glad to see her feline friend and gladly fed it milk and played with it. As she looked into Kitty’s eyes, she remembered something she was going to do a few months before. “Wait here, OK?”

She half-expected Kitty to have run off by the time she went back out, but those adoring golden eyes shone with the same playfulness that emanated from its tiny body while it sat and watched her. “I’m back. I have a present for you, Kitty.” She pulled out a sparkly golden ring that seemed to grow to fit past the kitten’s paw and then shrink to fit around what she assumed was its wrist. “My dad used to wear this when he went out to the capital. I was going to give it to you a few months ago, but…” Naomi paused, realizing that first, the cat most likely couldn’t understand her, and second, that it had never met her father and so wouldn’t know what had happened to him. “Well… my dad was on his way back from the capital when some bad wolf-men attacked and killed him.” She clenched a fist at the thought of the monsters that had murdered her father. “It’s really precious to me, and you’re really precious to me, so I want you to have it. You won’t ever be hungry again after a week.”

Just then, two burly hunters swooped in and snatched the kitten from the ground. “Get away from it, Naomi!” She jumped up and tried to pry Kitty from his meaty hands.

“What do you think you’re doing? It’s just a kitten!” She cried, close to sobbing at the thought of losing her friend so soon after losing her father.

“Where did this thing come from?” The hunter shook the helpless furball roughly. “Answer me! Where did you first see it?”

“In the forest, while I was picking flowers and mushrooms.”

“Then this creature is a werecat. What are you doing, feeding a creature like this?”

Cinderpelt screeched, terrified of the big men who had murdered her parents.

“That’s not true! Kitty’s just a kitty and that’s all! I’ve been raising her. Now let her go or I’ll scream!” The hunters paused upon seeing the distress on Naomi’s face. The one holding Cinderpelt threw her to the ground out of pity for the girl who had lost her father so recently.

“Very well. Just don’t say we didn’t warn you when that **thing** grows up and ends up attacking you.” She cradled the distraught kitten in her lap until long after they had left.

“I’m sorry they did that to you, Kitty. I’ll make sure those bad men never bother you again.” The kitten purred loudly and snuggled up to Naomi’s belly, though Naomi mistook its fear for contentment. After all, Cinderpelt was there when those same hunters had taken her parents away from her.

*** 

Five more years passed of this increasingly uneasy friendship. Cinderpelt grew slowly because of the unusual longevity of her kind while Naomi grew to become a fearsome were-creature huntress at the age of seventeen, and as such, Cinderpelt’s slow development did not escape Naomi’s notice. “You’re not… actually… a werecat, are you, Kitty?” Cinderpelt tilted her head to one side. Although she trusted that Naomi wouldn’t hurt her if she was found out, she didn’t want to risk their friendship when she was more than happy to maintain her cat form.

“Mrrow.” She rubbed up against Naomi’s legs, feigning obliviousness.

“No, of course you’re not. I’m just being paranoid. I’m sorry, Kitty.” Naomi scritched Cinderpelt’s ears. “Let’s go.”

Cinderpelt lagged behind Naomi a little bit, as usual, while Naomi did her rounds. At about 4 PM, however, Cinderpelt heard rustling off to the side and alerted Naomi. “Good kitty. Now stay back so you don’t get hurt, OK?”

Something about the rustling and the scent - well, stench - emanating from that direction bothered Cinderpelt, and she yowled in an attempt to slow Naomi. ‘Please don’t go! There’s something dangerous-bad-stinky there!’

“Well, well, well. What do we have here? A little girl and her little kitty friend. We’ll be extra nice to you if you don’t tell anyone we’re here.” The first man licked his lips lasciviously, looking Naomi up and down.

“Or I could take you down. I’ll have you know that I am a were-creature huntress. And I’m more than capable of taking you down.” She turned back to Cinderpelt and mouthed one word: ‘Go.’

Cinderpelt, unable to bear the thought of potentially losing her only friend, scampered up the legs of the bandit and scratched and bit at him from underneath his clothes and armor. ‘Maybe this’ll help Naomi fight.’

The bandit squealed and thrashed, unaware of what was causing the biting pain all over his body. “What the…!” Naomi used that moment to strike the bandit, knocking him out cold. This continued for a while, with Cinderpelt attacking each bandit from within while Naomi struck, and it worked brilliantly until the final bandit saw Cinderpelt struggling out of the clothes of the last one of his goonies to fall. With little endurance as a kitten, the bandit grabbed and tormented her with ease.

“So this is how you’ve been able to hold up against us. Feisty. I like my girls feisty. Until I break them, that is!” He threw the helpless kitten against a tree, where it fell to the ground after hitting the trunk, limp and seemingly lifeless.

“Kitty!” Instinctively, Naomi stabbed the final bandit, waited until he fell and didn’t get up, and then ran to where she had seen her feline friend fall…

To find a little girl who seemed to vaguely resemble the kitten just coming to. “Wha…” She looked up at Naomi. “Naomi!” She covered her mouth, the joyful spark in her eyes dying out and making way for fear and remorse. “I…”

“You…” Naomi shook, raising her still-dripping knife. “You were… a werecat.” Her eyes filled with tears as flashbacks of all the years she had spent with Cinderpelt overwhelmed her. “You… how could you…” She had spent years and years of her life with a **monster** by her side. “No… you’re not a monster. How could you be a monster, Kitty? You were always so kind to me. If you wanted to hurt me, your parents would’ve done it already. Oh…!” She was horrified and confused.

“Naomi, you’re my friend, aren’t you?” Kitty - no, the creature - the creature’s eyes were still sunlight streaming through the trees, still the eyes of her dear friend.

Cinderpelt could feel herself slipping in and out of consciousness. As her vision went blurry, she could’ve sworn that she saw Naomi mouth something while she ran. ‘I must really be a monster...’

When she came to again, she resolved to leave the outskirts of Arthon and travel to the capital. It wouldn’t be long until the hunters found her and she would prefer to avoid scaring Naomi again. Of course, with the state she was in, she was only able to travel in short bursts, and without the help of her feline agility, she could not travel far. After barely half a day of traveling, she collapsed, resigned to die alone with only the guilt of terrifying Naomi to accompany her. ‘There’s no one to cremate me...’

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed it! TBH this part was SO HARD TO WRITE because I hated Naomi so much "OTL


	2. Dragontouched

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A kind mage finds Cinderpelt collapsed on the ground and nurses her back to health. As a parting gift, she receives a Dragon Spirit Cincture.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Part 2! This one is a bit of a filler, sorry ^^;
> 
> Hope you enjoy anyways! "OTL

Luckily for Cinderpelt, a traveling mage happened to pass by, and upon seeing the glint of the Ring of Sustenance on the ground, found her collapsed body. As he considered the amount of time he would have to spend on refining and crafting magic items, he figured that doing the girl in front of him the kindness of nursing her back to health would be an interesting and constructive way to spend his time while doing so. Considering her size and weight, carrying her to his temporary abode was no trouble.

The first time Cinderpelt woke, the mage was muttering about some kind of draconic magic, but she was too weak to care and so went back to sleep. Despite the fact that she normally only required two hours of sleep per night thanks to the Ring of Sustenance, the amount of energy that healing took from her body made her yearn for sleep. At least, that was the explanation she gave the mage when he asked. The truth was, because she had been in cat form for so long, she had adopted the living habits of cats, resulting in an acclimation to long periods of time spent napping during the day. With the way people around where she had lived reacted to tibbits though, she figured it would be best if she left her shapeshifting out.

"Strange. Normally youngsters are more resilient than you are currently. How old are you again?" Cinderpelt had learned that she aged much slower than the average human and so declared her age accordingly. She held up three fingers, deciding that pretending to be mute would save her the trouble of having to verbally sort through the lies and the truths. "What, can't you talk?" She shook her head. "Well, I guess you'll just have to listen to this old geezer talk at you." The mage smiled warmly and poured her a bowl of clear, warm broth. "I realize that your Ring of Sustenance eliminates your need for food, but won't you take an old man's hospitality?" She accepted his kindness gratefully and drank. "Now, I have met many a tibbit in my lifetime but something tells me that you wish to cast away that part of you, if only for a short while. If you wish to do that, you are free to do so, though it would be a shame for one as playful as you to pretend to be without speech."

Cinderpelt looked him over for a while. "As much as I appreciate the gesture, I am not in a suitable state in which I can make judgments on whether to keep my identity out in the open. However, I see no harm in retaining my identity in your presence alone. There is admittedly a lot for me to take in as of this moment." The mage nodded. “How did you know I was a tibbit?”

“Your height and your eyes tell more about you than anything else. Of course, that is only when we know what to look for.” The mage fed her more broth. “Drink up. You’ve probably become used to napping during the day, and my talking at you has probably done more harm than good. I’ll let you sleep once you finish your soup.”

And so the weeks passed. Once Cinderpelt recovered enough energy to shift forms freely, she sat on the mage’s shoulder as he rambled to her about the magical capabilities of the items he was researching and modifying. “And this is a Dragon Spirit Cincture. I have been working on it since the day I found you collapsed on the ground and I still do not know what it does. I wonder…” While he ran another arcana test, he chopped up some meat and fed it to her in small bites. “That’s a good kitty.” He scritched her ears after she had eaten.

A year had passed by the time the mage finally decided to give up on the Dragon Spirit Cincture. In that year, Cinderpelt learned almost all there was to learn about the mage, from his living habits, preferences, and pet peeves to his life back in Hidnedad, where he had left his wife, children, and granddaughter Leah to study the magic of the cosmos. “Times like these make me wonder if it was worth the cost of leaving my home.”

After making sure there was plenty of food for the tibbit to eat, he left the belt with her, saying that even if he could not figure out its properties there would surely be other wizards or warlocks who could, and that it could fetch a good sum with which she could start a new life in the capital. “Now, be good and try not to cause too much trouble with that adorable playfulness of yours.” Cinderpelt mewed and pranced around him. “Farewell, Kitten. Perhaps we will meet again.”

Only after the mage had long since left left the hut did Cinderpelt re-enter to have another look at the belt. “Dragon Spirit Cincture, hm…? I really, really wanna know what it does before I think about selling it.”

For about a month, she traveled to and around the capital, asking any wandering wizard and warlock if they knew what the purpose of the Dragon Spirit Cincture was. Finally, a sorcerer well read in draconic magic caved to her incessant asking and told her that the belt was used to make breath attacks stronger. When she asked him more about breath attacks and dragon fire, he merely laughed and told her to seek out those who followed Bahamut or Tiamat if she was so curious.

“Like the Dragon gods? Is that possible for someone like me?” The sorcerer laughed raucously.

“Of course not! But ya said ya wanted to know, so I answered!” The sorcerer paused and looked at the belt in her hands. “But of course, they’re not gods for nothing. Maybe something will come to ya if ya wear the thing. After all, it’s meant to be worn, not carried around like a whip.”

So she did.

Upon doing the clasp and adjusting it to fit her waist, the belt seemed to writhe around and emit heat, like…

“Dragonfire!” Cinderpelt’s surprised squeal made the sorcerer chuckle, though he was confused by the cincture’s reaction to her. “It - it - it moved! And it got really hot! Like a dragon breathing fire!”

“The belt never moved, kid. That just means it likes ya. Now go find someone to teach ya how to use it.” As the sorcerer walked away, Cinderpelt looked down at the thing around her waist again. As she grew accustomed to its heat, she could have sworn she felt scales cover her skin and fangs growing in her mouth. When she looked at her arms and felt her teeth, though, no such transformation had happened.

“What…?”

_“You have been Dragontouched. Once you have found suitable teachers, train yourself in the ways of dragonsbreath and fight to protect those you may one day come to cherish.”_

“Who…?”

The voice did not respond.

She sighed. ‘Of course.’ Looking down once more, she resolved to find whoever it was she was supposed to find and see what all the mystery behind the belt was about.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wooooo, strange belt and voices in her head! The next bit is going to (hopefully) explain how and why she changes and conceals something very important to her :O


	3. Celia

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cinderpelt gives herself a new name! Well... kind of...

Another year passed as Cinderpelt searched for someone who could teach her the ways of the Dragonfire Adept. Of course, as Fate would have it, she literally ran into her future teacher’s legs as a cat.

“What’s this?” A burly old man leaned down and huffed at Cinderpelt in amusement. “Hello, Kitty. What brings a little beauty like you here…” The cincture, which had shrunk itself to fit like a collar around her neck, gleamed in the sunlight. “This here looks like…” He set her on top of his meaty hand as he inspected the collar more closely.

A flash. The old man stood in front of Bahamut, still cradling the tibbit in his hand.

 _“Ha-thas Emberwhirl.”_ The man knelt before the dragon-god. _“Tibbit. I understand that you would wish to hide yourself given what you have experienced, but please. This would be much easier in your human form.”_

Cinderpelt hopped down from Ha-thas’s hand and shifted, wishing the old man’s expression didn’t match Naomi’s horror so closely. "What, you've never seen a tibbit before?"

"I... cannot say that I have." Ha-thas's expression changed when he realized how rude he was being. "Apologies for staring."

"It's OK, I get that a lot." She pranced around in front of the dragon king, seemingly ignorant of whom she was approaching. "So you're the one with the voice!"

Ha-thas could have sworn he felt his jaw dislocate from dropping so far when she spoke to the god in that familiar manner, but when Bahamut merely chuckled, he felt he might faint. "Do you not realize whom you're addressing?!" Ha-thas felt his blood vessels pop at the child-creature's sacrilege. 'How dare she disrespect Bahamut in that manner!'

"You know, I thought you'd be some old grandpa god but you're actually a really cool looking dragon. Whoa, I like your wings!” Bahamut looked back at her and let out a puff of air that sounded so close to a chortle that Cinderpelt laughed too. "So, uh, why are we here?"

_"To ensure that you do not seek out Tiamat."_

"Oh, I see. Isn't she supposed to be really mean and scary anyways?"

"That would be among the biggest understatements I have heard about her yet. She is evil and would sooner cook a child as small as you than look at you. Of course, with the rumors about were-animals that are going around, perhaps she would see some use in you as a spy." Cinderpelt shuddered as she imagined spying on innocent people like Naomi under the threat of being eaten by a dragon. "And why is my presence required if you wished to keep her away from Tiamat? Surely your presence alone would have sufficed, Great One."

 _"I recognize the strengths and weaknesses, the virtues and sins of all those I have touched. I look into your past and I see unwarranted prejudice and hatred for those who are not human. Though I understand that these prejudices come from your surroundings and are so deeply entrenched that it will be a long and difficult process to even approach being able to consistently fight your prejudice, your recent actions have caused you to stand at a crossroads. Training this tibbit whilst learning of her and her culture is your opportunity to prove that you are still able to change this vice of yours for the better."_ Bahamut paused. _"I've no doubt that spending some time with this tibbit will show you the error of your ways."_ Ha-thas bowed his head at the Dragon King's wisdom.

"I shall carry out your will." With that, the vision faded, leaving Cinderpelt and Ha-thas in the forest once more.

"So, uh..." Ha-thas began walking away from her before she could continue her train of thought. "Hey! I thought you were supposed to be my teacher."

"What brought you here, tibbit? Do you have a name?"

"The coll - ci - Leah."

"Celia." Ha-thas’s lip curled at what he thought was the tibbit's name. “A harsher name would suit a creature like you. No matter. I will not be teaching you at this moment, no matter what the cincture and Bahamut say.”

“Why not?” Cinderpelt felt her belly grow hot with indignation at Ha-thas’s brusque words. “Bahamut told you to…”

“I did not say that I would not teach you at all. You look to be about three years old. I cannot teach a mere child the ways of the dragonfire adept.”

“I’m a lot older than I look, you know!”

“Ah, yes, of course. And how old would you be in actuality?”

“Twelve. I just grow real slow.”

“Twelve is also too young. Perhaps if you were to come back in ten - no, forty years so that you look old enough to learn, I would teach you.”

“Then can I at least come with you? I don’t really have a place to go, now that I’ve found someone who could teach me things.”

“Nn…” Ha-thas was just about to refuse Celia’s request when he remembered what the Dragon King had told him, what he had done to deserve worse than the chance for forgiveness that was sitting on her haunches waiting for his response. “Oh, very well. But you will stay as a pet.”

“Yay!” The girl - creature - girl - whatever it - she - was bounced around him as he continued walking once more. “Sorry, I’d do this as a cute kitty but I have to wait for at least an hour between transformations. Celia pouted. “Do you think ‘Celia’ is a pretty name?”

“I do. I apologize for offending you regarding your name.”

“That’s OK. I’m used to people being mean and scary once they see what I can do.” Though her words were simple enough and spoken lightly enough to match her childishness, Ha-thas couldn’t help but see a level of maturity that she seemed to wish to hide. He shook the thoughts out of his head. Seeing her as an actual person with feelings reminded him of the gravity of his crimes, and he did not wish to acknowledge them in front of her.

“All right then. Come.” He returned to his camp with Celia in tow.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I was going to do something else next chapter but Ha-thas decided to make himself more complicated and important so there's gonna be one more chapter with him "OTL


	4. Dragonfire Adept of Bahamut

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Celia becomes a Dragonfire Adept, and helps Ha-thas redeem himself. But at what cost?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HOLY SHIT THIS WAS HARD TO WRITE. It's longer though, so maybe it'll be worth it? "OTL

“We have arrived.” After what seemed like forever and a half of walking, Ha-thas pointed to a clearing in the forest. “This is where I teach those who have been Dragontouched like myself the ways of dragonfire.”

He watched as the creature, which had resumed its - her - cat form exactly an hour after the vision, looked around and sniffed at the air. Once again, it - she - took on her human form. “So you’ll be teaching me in forty years? Are you still gonna be around for that long?” Despite the fact that she was a werecat, he could feel that he could potentially warm up to her mannerisms, but he shook the thought off as soon as it appeared.

“That would be the point.” There it was again: the harsh light in his eyes reappeared as he stared straight into her eyes. He interrupted her as she opened her mouth to protest. "It is no fault of mine that your kind ages slowly. Now. I expect you to spend as little time as possible in your humanoid form, as it is unsightly for an old man like me to house a little girl like you."

"You know, I could just live on my own. I don't need food or water or anything so I can just live in a hut or even in the forest around here." Ha-thas's assumptions that she was going to stay with him as his **pet** despite his vile treatment of her sent waves of heat through her core again.

“Then stay in the forest.” The creature-girl’s blatant refusal of his offer angered him despite knowing that he would feel far more comfortable keeping it - her - at a distance, for his own sake if not for hers. “However, I will not be held responsible for your actions.”

“Geez, you make it sound like I’m going to kill someone if I’m left alone. I turn into a **cat** , not a wolf, for crying out loud.” Celia felt scales crawl along her arms and fangs grow in her mouth once more. “And why does my belly always feel hot when I’m mad?”

“I will tell you when you look old enough to receive training, if I am still alive. Or, alternatively, you could read it yourself in our library.” The werecat scowled at him. “Could it be that you can change forms but you can’t read? What have you been doing with your twelve long years of existence?”

“I never needed to know how to read.” Indeed, Celia had spent so long traveling everywhere with no purpose that she had no need to read the signs and maps strewn along the paths she had walked. “Do I really have to know?”

“Well, you will never be able to become a Dragonfire Adept if you cannot read. So I suggest you learn, if you are desperate enough.” Her anger manifested itself in a hiss that only made Ha-thas laugh. “Perhaps I would fear that sound if it were coming from an actual cat, instead of a creature that is neither man nor beast. Go. I have business to attend to.” He left her standing there without a second glance.

“Ugh!” Flames licked inside of her belly once more at Ha-thas’s prejudice. ‘Is this what Bahamut meant by his prejudice? Is Ha-thas the kind of person Naomi could’ve turned out to be?’ The thought of her dearest friend becoming as hard and bitter as Ha-thas terrified her. ‘There’s gotta be a way that I can show him! But what am I supposed to do? He won’t teach me, and I can’t read and learn for myself. Wait a second...’ An idea rang through her mind. ‘He never said that I couldn’t watch! I bet I could learn a couple things just by watching him teach and maybe hanging out with some of the people learning!’ She resolved to spend the rest of the hour in her human form exploring the forest before going into the camp as a cat and watching Ha-thas at work.

Once the hour had passed and Celia had returned to her cat form, she returned to the clearing where Ha-thas said that he taught. She caught sight of the old man within seconds, as a burst of dragonfire blew through and past her, though it did not burn her. ‘What was that?’ She trotted off in the direction that the fire had originated from to find several young men and women in a circle, watching Ha-thas, who lectured them in the middle.

“... The origin of all dragonfire is in the belly. Perhaps you remember the way you could feel your bodies change when you were Dragontouched: your belly grew hot, you grew scales and fangs, and perhaps some of you even felt wings sprout from your back.” Ha-thas paused to let the information sink in. “Perhaps you have since felt your belly grow hot whenever you felt any strong emotion.” Celia grinned to herself. ‘So much for needing to know how to read; I can just learn by listening and watching!’ She sat behind Ha-thas, taking in every word he said.

“Now, it will be a long time before you will begin to breathe anything akin to dragonfire. I will warn you in advance; this will be a long journey. Learning the way of the dragon is difficult for us non-dragons.” He paused when he noticed that a few students were paying attention to something that was not him. “Now what are you lot staring at?” He glanced behind him and gave a start at seeing the ashen kitten with eyes the color of piss. “You! Shoo! Go away! I told you that I would not be teaching you!”

Celia was tempted to respond aggressively when she remembered a few things: first, she was a kitten and would probably do minimum damage before being burnt to a crisp; second, she was a kitten and the students had no idea she was a tibbit; third, if no one but Ha-thas knew that she was a shapeshifter, the students were probably wondering why he was shouting so violently at a kitten like her. Consequently, a plan came to mind. “Mrrrow?” She tilted her head to one side and rolled over on her back, exposing her belly. The students on either side of her immediately knelt down to pet her, cooing at her and reprimanding the old man for shouting so loudly at such a cute kitty.

“It’s just a kitten; look at it! It’s so cute!”

“Aw, d’you want us to play with you? You’re so adorable!”

“Why were you yelling at it, sir? Surely this kitten didn’t ask to be taught? Cats can’t talk!”

Ha-thas growled and sighed, gritting his teeth. “It seems that you cannot keep yourself hidden no matter what you do. Show yourself, tibbit.” Celia grinned again, seizing the chance to humiliate him further.

“Meow.” ‘No way I’m doing that for you of all people.’ She purred softly as the students pet her and picked her up, rubbing their cheeks against her and snuggling her to their chests.

“What is a tibbit, sir?” It seemed that many of the younger students had no idea that tibbits existed.

“They are shapeshifters that take the form of common housecats. And that **thing** is a tibbit that followed me after I refused to teach it because it looked too young.”

“That can’t be! Look how it purrs; this can’t be a person acting like a cat.”

“Shapeshifters do not **act** like their animal counterparts. They **become** the animals. That is why lupines are so feared, as few of them learn to curb and control their bloodlust.” Ha-thas grabbed the kitten by the scruff of the neck.

“Don’t hurt it! It’s just a kitten!” The many cries of protest seemed to make Ha-thas evaluate the position that Celia’s stubbornness had put him in. “Perhaps the tibbit you refused has already gone on its way and this is just a kitten.”

“Perhaps. But I would recognize these piss-yellow eyes anywhere.” Ha-thas shook the kitten for good measure. “I will let you stay, so that I do not humiliate myself. But play me for a fool one more time and I will cook you in this form and eat you.” Celia meowed petulantly and scratched his face, grazing his eye.

And so the years passed. Celia sat in and listened and watched the students practice, and as rewards for making good progress, they were allowed to play with the kitten. The students were quick to notice that the kitten seemed to have grown no older or bigger, though 5 years had passed.

“Why aren’t you growing, Kitty? Did a warlock curse you because you’re so cute?” None of the students realized that she grew so slowly because of the longevity of her kind.

One day, Ha-thas wandered into the forest, wondering what Celia did when she was not watching and listening. ‘Surely she would be unable to do anything purely from watching and listening, unless she has been practicing on her own?’ But I would have seen if she were able to do anything.’ He continued to tread along the path that Celia had been kind enough to mark off, and soon noticed what looked like scorch marks on the trees. ‘Could it be?’

When he finally found her, she was taking a nap while curled up in a pile of fallen leaves. ‘Of course. Typical of cats.’ Just as he turned to leave, she stirred and stretched, taking in the sight of him half-turned away from her. She reverted to her human form.

“What do you want? You wanna get back at me for wanting to listen as a cat? Now’s your chance. The kids are all in the library because you promised that they could spend time napping with me if they all aced their next test.”

“No, ti - Celia.” Was it just him, or did the eyes that he had always reviled as reminding him of piss look more like the sunshine streaming down through the leaves? “It has been five years since that incident. I have learned to forgive and forget. It seems as though you have learned nothing, however. Why is it that you continue to come to lessons without practicing?”

“Well I can’t really give myself away, can I? Cats aren’t normally Dragontouched, are they?”

“So you fear that they will revile you…”

“The way my friend did and the way you do? Well I’m sorry to say this but when the only people you know hate you because you can turn into a cat you start to wonder.”

“I am old, and narrow minded. My students are much younger and already know that you are harmless.” Even up to around three years ago he could not have imagined a stranger turn of events than the conversation he was having with the tibbit.

“My oldest friend Naomi left me for dead when she found out that I was a shapeshifter although I had grown up with her and been her friend for the first ten years of my life. She was seventeen when we were attacked by bandits and she found out.” Although she seemed to dislike her own reaction to the tale, Celia appeared distraught and even… “Yeah, it makes me a little bitter. But people feed me when I don’t need to be fed and give me pretty things to play with when I’m a cat. So it’s not all bad. I don’t expect you to care though; I’m just a charity case for you.”

His mind flashed back to the day that had led him astray from his path, the day that… “Perhaps this is not a good place to hold a conversation of this nature. Would you like to come to my home and speak there?”

“It’s been less than an hour since I transformed back. You’re gonna have to wait until the hour’s up.”

“You can come now. If we come across anyone I will make…”

“No need. You’re right. They should know. I’ll explain if we run into them.” Her voice seemed almost robotic with resignation. Ha-thas frowned: though he knew consciously that she was already seventeen years old, it seemed morally reprehensible for a girl who looked to be about five or six to have such a dead approach to her life.

Fortunately for Celia, anyone they crossed paths with in the forest was just traveling through with no intention of stopping to chat.

They sat at the table, facing each other, though Ha-thas noticed that Celia’s golden eyes flicked from one thing to another, seeming to focus on anything other than him. “I would like to… apologize. For my behavior towards you, over these past few years.” He knew that he had passed an unfair judgment of her, using only her outward appearance and the fact that she was a shapeshifter. “Honestly, I loathed shapeshifters. To the point that…” His voice caught in his throat. “To the point that I killed them for sport.” He watched her, hoping for any show of emotion, anything that he could work with to redeem himself.

“Oh.” She gave a noncommittal shrug. “I figured. It’s not too far off from what Naomi did, even if she only did it to save the village from the crazy ones. What’s your story? Did lupines eat your dad too?”

“No. I merely had a misplaced, deeply entrenched hatred for them. Too smart to be animals, but too animalistic to be human. I thought surely I must be above them. I see now that I was wrong.” He wished she would get angry with him, or even show any sign of disappointment, anything that would show that she expected better of a man like him.

“I wonder why that doesn’t surprise me.” Seeing a girl with the appearance of a six-year-old say such a harsh sentence with so little emotion in her voice broke his facade of calm.

He apologized over and over again, blubbering like a little girl whose kitten had nearly died. “I’m - so sorry. I - Is there n-nothing - nothing I can - can do - f-for you to - t-t-to forgive me?”

“I can’t forgive you for things you haven’t done to me.” Seeing the man crumble before her confused her. Why was he apologizing to her for things he’d done to other shapeshifters? “Come on, there’s nothing you can really do about…” something tickled at her eyes and nose. “A-About… a-a-a-aCHOO!”

A burst of flame erupted from her mouth, setting fire to the table. Both Celia and Ha-thas looked at the fire slowly burning the table for a long time before Ha-thas ran out of the house, to one of the wells at the edge of the clearing, and ran back to dump the water on the growing fire. “And I could have sworn I cast Endure Exposure on my house this morning. I must have forgotten. How do you manage to sneeze fire? I have never seen that before.”

“I… don’t know? I’ve been sneezing fire every once in a while in the forest too.” Ha-thas remembered the scorch marks along the path.

“You seem to sneeze often.”

“Maybe people gossip about me a lot.” She grinned. “So can I start learning already, before I accidentally burn something down?”

Ha-thas pretended to pause to think. “Hm, you can sneeze fire and you might end up setting fire to the forest if you keep practicing on your own like that. Of course I must teach you now, before you learn everything the wrong way and become the most dangerous Dragonfire Adept in the world out of sheer ineptitude!” And so her training began. However, because of the clandestine nature of her teaching as a result of her earlier deception, she progressed very slowly.

Another ten years later, she and Ha-thas were just celebrating the halfway point of her training when other Dragonfire Adepts, those of Tiamat, attacked the camp. Shouts of “Kill them! Kill them all!” and “Of course the old man has cast Endure Exposure on this whole place! Drag them into the forest!” could be heard from where they had been training.

“We've gotta go help the kids!” Celia tried to run back to the clearing, but Ha-thas held her back.

“Change into your cat form so that you do not come under suspicion. You, at least, will be able to survive and carry on our teachings if worst comes to worst.” She nodded and transformed, riding on Ha-thas’s shoulder as he barrelled into the clearing.

“Sir! What do we do?”

“What do you think? They are unprotected by Endure Exposure. Get them while you can!” Celia felt her anger and fear boil over into heat that coursed through her body and into her mouth.

The battle was almost over when Ha-thas, and by attachment Celia, was grabbed roughly and forced out of the clearing.

“I have cast Endure Exposure on myself but hours earlier. Your dragonfire will do nothing against me.” The head of the group that had attacked him and his students grinned.

“We would not do something so predictable to such a revered Dragonfire Adept of Bahamut, Ha-thas Emberwhirl. No, we have something much more practical in mind.” Celia crept off of him and snuck behind the attackers, with the night masking everything but her yellow irises. When Ha-thas noticed where she was and met her eyes, she blinked slowly, acknowledging that she was ready.

“Dizis. Of course. I should have known you would seek me out at some point. Unfortunately, your students seem to have much left to learn. Now!” Celia unleashed a blast of Cold energy, her conviction and rage powering her dragonfire. At such a close range, only the leader was able to withstand the frostbreath.

“Why you!” Ha-thas watched as Dizis turned her attention from him to the kitten. “Have you found ways to teach animals as well, Ha-thas? This should be interesting.” Dizis licked her lips and paused for a moment before lunging at Celia with an ornate dagger shaped like a dragon’s fang clenched in her hand.

Time seemed to slow down for Celia. By the time she came to her senses, Dizis was nothing more than ash, and Ha-thas lay on the ground with the dagger buried in his ribs.

“H-Ha-thas?” She reverted back to her human form. “What happened?”

He did not respond verbally, only taking one of her hands with his.

_“I do not have much time. Pay close attention, Celia, as this is the last lesson I will be able to give. I do not have much time or energy but I have been fortunate enough to have dabbled in the psionics before I was Dragontouched. You may not have completed all of your training but you have enough arcane talent to learn on your own. If you use the Invocation I taught you well you will surely grow into a formidable Dragonfire Adept. I am proud to have taught you and I am truly, truly grateful to have met you. In the time that I spent teaching you I have learned much about myself and my flaws and vices, and now, after over forty years of running from what I had done, I am confident that I may now face those I have wronged and sincerely ask their forgiveness. Thank you, Celia. It is a fine name, and one that suits your kind nature well.”_ She smiled a little, remembering when she had mixed up “cincture” and “Leah” and had ended up with her current name. _“I request that you and my remaining students cremate me. Do not be afraid to show who you are, Celia. Even the most narrow-minded individuals stand no chance against your influence.”_ Though his final message contained words of comfort and kindness, Celia felt cold and bitter. A man had lost his life to save hers, and now she was living on borrowed time.

She left the camp after cremating Ha-thas, seeking out the king as a protector of Arthon. ‘Maybe if I spend my time protecting people I’ll be able to pay back a little of Ha-thas’s sacrifice.’

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Once again, constructive criticism is really really appreciated! Holy crap this was long and I probably got all the pacing wrong and the ending's really abrupt aaaahhhh I'm sorry "OTL I just really wanted to finish this part before moving on; I have like I backlog of AU ideas for Celia but I promised myself I wouldn't write or post them until I got all of her backstory done first "OTL


	5. Meeting Lith

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Celia partners up with Lithmaeien Weretheth for a particularly long assignment.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AAAAHHHHHH IT'S FINALLY STARTING TO HAPPEN! It's short, but I hope you enjoy!

Celia bounced on her toes as she packed: the king had finally given her a mission that would finally result in more than a couple hours and boredom, after five months of just going out on hour-long excursions and scaring thieves into turning themselves in! Although he had said that because of her size, he would send another to accompany her. ‘Still, this must be pretty big if the king’s sending more than one person out, even if he says it’s because of my height. I wonder what kind of person my partner will be. I really hope they’re not a dwarf.’ She shuddered at the thought of having to explain why she only used fire to a dwarf, a member of a race that was skeptical enough of fire because of dragons and would most likely attack **her** for breathing fire.

“Celia Emberwhirl, your partner has arrived.” As the announcement was made, a tall elf with platinum hair and chestnut brown eyes strode in. “Lithmaeien Weretheth, you will be working with Celia Emberwhirl on this assignment. We wish you both the best and hope for your safe return.”

As soon as the page left the two adventurers to themselves, they began gauging each other cautiously, though Celia seemed much more guarded than Lithmaeien or whatever his name was did, which was a first. After looking him up and down several times and observing the way he carried himself while watching her watch him, she finally broke the silence that had settled in. "Well... I know the page already announced us by name, but do you wanna maybe get to know each other?" The elf looked at her for a bit before responding with laughter. 

"Well... I know the page already announced us by name, but do you wanna maybe get to know each other?" Lithmaeien was delighted to hear that the little girl in front of him sounded as lively as she looked.

"It would be my pleasure." He took the hand that she offered and shook it. “Though, pardon my intrusion, you do seem a bit young to be serving as a protector of the kingdom.”

“I get that a lot.” She grinned, but her expression seemed to stop at her eyes. “I’m a lot older than I look, though. Besides, you don’t look that much older than me.” 

"Touché. Being an elf does have that effect, though I would assume that you're not an elf."

"Elves aren't the only species that age slowly."

"True. But I can't recall any species that ages slowly and is also as small as you."

She laughed again, a real laugh this time. 'Her eyes... They capture the sunlight when she laughs.’ “You’re funny. You said your name was Li - Lithium?” She snorted and laughed again. “Sorry, I’m bad with Elf names. You’d think after living in Arthon I’d be a little better with them.”

“Lithmaeien. You, however, can call me Lith.”

“Lith, huh? I’m Celia. Celia Reuft Emberwhirl.” The little girl smiled again, though her eyes seemed to belie something upon the mention of her middle and last name. “I’m a tibbit.” Lithmaeien had no idea what a tibbit was, and he wasted no time in asking.

“Tibbit?” Celia breathed a sigh of relief - the elf seemed completely unaware of what her kind could do.

“Yep. Just think of me as a cuter, longer lived halfling.” She smiled again.

“Your smile isn’t reaching your eyes.” Celia seemed taken aback by his observation. “Why do you force yourself to smile?”

“Because if I smile a lot maybe I’ll start feeling happy again.” The reasoning coming out of her mouth confused Lithmaeien. Surely a girl as bubbly and vivacious as her should have a happier reason than that to smile. “I don’t expect you to understand me; no one does.” The smile on her face was bitter, almost twisted into a grimace.

“Well, I hope I can come to understand you while we travel together.”

“What makes you think that we’re going to be traveling for longer than this jo - ah - ah - ahCHOO!” Fire burst out of her mouth as she sneezed. “Shoot!”

“That would be why.” With a chuckle, Lithmaeien conjured a stream of water to put out the small blaze. “Fire and water. Earth and air. Large and small. The king told me that if this mission is successful and we seem to cooperate he would like us to work together, so that I don’t flood a village and so you don’t set anyone on fire.”

Celia gave an embarrassed giggle. “Well, you’re funny so I won’t cook you.” She stuck her tongue out at him. “As long as you don’t make me mad.” Something about her - he wasn’t exactly sure if it was her playfulness or how she reminded him of a plushy with how adorable she was or the fact that she looked to be ten years old or fewer - made him want to hug her tightly. Of course, he resisted the urge.

“And I won’t drown you. As long as you don’t make me mad.” His tongue stuck out of his mouth as well, and she couldn’t help but laugh at the sight of the pointy-eared boy sticking out his tongue at her. A retort regarding her shapeshifting almost slipped out of her mouth, and Lith seemed to notice that she had stopped herself from saying anything before she could close her mouth. “What is it?”

“It’s… nothing.” She smiled the forced smile again, feeling vulnerable in the presence of someone who seemed to possess the ability to look into her soul. “Not anything I can talk to you about, at least.”

“Oh. Well, maybe that’ll change if we spend enough time together?” She seemed almost to look past him when she nodded and smiled her fake smile again. ‘What is it that makes her so easy and so hard to see into?’

With that, they set out on their mission: to clear the surrounding forest of any hostile entities, be they monsters or bandits. It was expected that they would be gone for at least a month traversing through the forest and “clearing out baddies”, as Celia called it.

About a week had passed since they had started traveling through, but so far there had been no sign of activity from malicious entities whatsoever. “I wonder why we haven’t seen anything yet. This is booooring.” Celia yawned, as if to make her point clearer. ‘I’d probably be able to tell what I’m up against better if I could smell around. But Lith would probably notice if I disappeared and a cat reappeared and then I came back after the cat left.’ She stopped walking, wondering what she should do.

“Celia?” Lith seemed worried about her, which made her smile ruefully. “Is something wrong?”

“Nothing’s really **wrong**.” She began cautiously. ‘Do I tell him? Do I not? How would he react? What should I do? There’s something really weird going on here and I’d be better at this as a cat.’ “No, nothing’s wrong.” She decided against gauging their surroundings as a cat, even if it would have been a more useful thing to do. “It’s just weird. Considering how His Majesty sent both of us, I would’ve expected lots of action by now, but we haven’t seen anything. It makes me wonder.”

“You’re right.” Lith paused, seeming to think. “You know, it’d be really strange if this turned out to be bigger than just some runaways and criminals on the loose.” He laughed off his conspiracy. “As if that would happen, though.” Celia laughed with him, though something prickled at the back of her neck. She felt her hackles rise and turned to see a glint of silver before something lunged at her. ‘No, not me, Lith!’

There was something different about the heat in her belly. Time seemed to slow in front of her as the flames unfurled from her mouth and engulfed the runaway criminal. As his body slowed and burned, Celia pulled Lithmaeien out of the way and even managed to run past his trajectory herself before he hit the ground.

“Whoa! What was that?” Lithmaeien looked from the charred body in front of him to Celia, and then back again. “Time… Time slowed down! He should have been able to hit me.”

“That’s just one of my many talents.” She grinned, relieved that she could defend others as well as herself with her dragonfire.

“You must be a…” Her relief stopped short when she realized that she had revealed her dragonfire in front of someone who was practically a stranger to her, no matter how well they seemed to get along.

“Lith, I…”

“You should’ve told me you were such a powerful infernal warlock!” Celia barely concealed her double take.

“Uh…”

“You look so young but you’re so strong! How did you do that? I can’t get my water to do much other than take other forms and solidify as I wish. You’re so cool!”

“Thaaaaanks…?” ‘Is this guy an idiot or something? Did he not see me literally **breathing fire**?’ She smiled and committed to continuing the farce that he had spun for her. “It’s really nothing special. I’ve been at it for fifteen years and I can’t seem to get some things right.” ‘Well, that part’s not a lie. After all, it’s what Ha-thas used to…’ She chased those thoughts out of her mind. ‘Ha-thas wouldn’t want me to stay in the past forever. So I’m going to learn and I’m going to grow and get stronger so I can save people like he saved me.’

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter's really short because I wanna take the Lithmaeien arc nice and slow and I have soooo many ideas and AU things for him and Celia. Speaking of which, you might see some of the AU things after I finish with the backstory - like I said, this isn't really one big story but these first few happen to be sequential with a single narrative XD "OTL
> 
> As always, constructive criticism would be much appreciated! ^^


	6. Acceptance (or, How Lithmaeien Learned that Celia was a Tibbit AND a Dragonfire Adept in One Day)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lithmaeien finds out a couple interesting things about Celia.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OK SO.
> 
> There is a time skip of about a month and a half. Not much happens during this time; Lith and Celia are still in the forest clearing out baddies.

No matter how hard she thought about it, Lithmaeien was truly a case study in and of himself. Not that she minded; she quite liked to study people. It was just that… she had never met anyone who visibly enjoyed studying her as much as she did them. Yet there he was, inspecting her ears and fur in pure fascination, taking in the way she purred when he scratched that spot just behind them with a reverence fit only for a goddess. “So you actually turn into a cat… wow…” She was tempted to shift back into her human form for the sole sake of delivering a snarky reply, but the scratching was so nice that she let it slide.

‘Just this once, though.’ Of course, by that time she had already said that to herself at least ten times.

* * *

(1 hour earlier)

“I bet you can’t get that fruit from the top of the tree over there!” Lithmaeien had been making fun of her height since the day they had met, culminating in this bet. Of course, she’d had plenty of opportunities to talk about **why** she was so short, but that would have involved… something she was still unwilling to do. However, she had warmed up to Lithmaeien enough to tell that if anyone were to accept her for who – or what – she was, he most definitely would.

“What’ll you do if I **can** get it?” Her refusal to back down from a challenge and excitement at potentially returning to her preferred cat form overrode any fears she harbored of Lithmaeien reviling her the way that… Naomi… She shook her head to clear the invasive thoughts from her mind, earning a curious stare from Lithmaeien. 

“I’ll do anything you ask. One free request for whatever you’d like.” Celia pretended to think about the bet, though she had long since made up her mind to do it.

“And the challenge is just to get the fruit down? I can use any means I can?”

“Well, you can’t use magic. You have to climb the tree yourself.” Celia stretched herself out as she gauged the height of the tree and its branches compared to the location of the fruit. It would be easy, if she could persuade herself to change into a cat in Lithmaeien’s presence.

“OK. Uh… you can hear climbing sounds, right?” He nodded, confused. “OK. I want you to close your eyes with your hands out and I’ll put the fruit in your hands.

“Why all the secrecy?”

“Reasons.” He figured that she had her own reasons for not telling him, so he let the subject drop and obliged.

Once Lithmaeien had completely closed his eyes, Celia transformed into a cat and climbed up the tree, taking advantage of her size and weight to climb up to the branch from which the fruit was hanging and take it from there into her mouth. As she looked up to see if Lithmaeien wasn’t peeking, her citrine eyes met his brown ones. ‘Shoot!’

He could hear nothing akin to what he imagined Celia’s climbing would sound like, leading him to wonder if she had been playing a prank on him this whole time. When he opened his eyes, however, he saw Celia – or what he recognized as partly Celia – morph into a cat before climbing the tree and taking the fruit. He knew he had promised that he wouldn’t look, but her transformation was so mesmerizing and her cat form was so adorable that he couldn’t help himself. He realized his mistake too late, though, when her large yellow eyes stared him down from the tree. ‘Shoot!’

She jumped down lightly and approached Lithmaeien, finally dropping the fruit at his feet. She purred and looped around his feet once, but something about her seemed guarded, as though she were waiting for something bad to happen. In fact, he could see her fur standing on end despite her friendly gestures.

“… Celia?” The way Lithmaeien called her name was completely different from what she was expecting. “This may sound strange, but… may I… pet you…?”

‘WHAT?’ His request sent her mind reeling. No one, **no one** had ever acted as calmly as he had upon seeing her shapeshifting, much less asked to pet her. Nevertheless, she jumped into his arms and purred nonstop as he stroked her fur and scratched her ears.

* * *

As his focus shifted from her ears to her nose, she attempted to stifle the need to sneeze fire, remembering that he was in point blank range and would most likely sustain serious burns. ‘Still, if anyone were to accept my Dragonfire Adept class, Lithmaeien would.’

“Penny for your thoughts, Kitty?” Lithmaeien booped her nose. “What bothers you?” The boop was enough to bring about the tickling sensation. ‘Shoot, I’m going to sneeze!’ She screeched and ran, unwilling to show the fiery darkness behind her cinder fluffiness. “Wait, Celia!” She kept running, but he continued to pursue her. “Celia, you’re going to get lost!”

With no time to respond, she scampered off to the side, into a shadowy part of the forest. As he reached the point where she had turned off the path, waves of bitter cold hit him from the left – where Celia had run. His fears were dispelled, however, when she trotted back to the path, stretching luxuriously in front him and begging for a belly rub.

“Silly kitty. You could’ve been hurt there! I wonder what that was, though. Whatever made that blast must’ve been incredibly powerful. Would you like to check it out?”

‘No! I ran away so you WOULDN’T see it!” She meowed plaintively and tripped him up each time he took a step towards the place where she had sneezed Dragonfire. He seemed amused by her attempts to deter him but determined to see what the source of the Cold energy was.

“You’re not **scared** of whatever did it, are you?” Though he was half-teasing, Lithmaeien knew that there was a distinct possibility that Celia had in fact seen the creature that had released that energy and didn’t want to place her in danger if that was the case. The small cat in front of him froze upon hearing his little challenge, and he stood back a little as she shifted back into her human form.

“It’s not that I’m scared of what did that…” Celia started cautiously, gauging his reactions as she resolved to tell him the other secret that usually sent people running for the hills. “I’m scared of how you’ll react to what – who – no, what – did it.” ‘He should know, and if anyone were to accept both my race and class, he would.’

“Celia, you sound like you’re implying something a lot bigger than what you just said. You’re not saying that **you** did this, are you?”

“Look, Lith, I didn’t mean to deceive you. You just assumed that I was a really powerful infernal warlock but the truth is, I’m not. I’m sorry I lied to you. It was just easier for me – us – if you thought I was a fire mage as opposed to, well…”

“You?” Her eyes flickered to his and then away. “So you did it? But how? It was…”

“Cold energy. It’s one of my breath effects.”

“Oh, I see. It’s one of your – WAIT, WHAT?” Celia flinched at his exclamation. “So you’re – you can – you’re a…”

“Dragonfire Adept. Yeah.” She saw the shock in his brown eyes, as well as… something else. She didn’t recognize whatever it was that shone behind his irises.

“So you… breathe fire?” She nodded, hanging her head. She wished she hadn’t changed back into a human, as she had to wait for the hour to pass to transform again.

“I, um… I have to go. Uh… I’m sure you have something important to do after this task too so let’s just part ways and pretend we…”

“Never knew each other? What do you take me for, Celia? You have an amazing ability to change shapes between a cute cat and a cute kid, and you have a powerful breath weapon to protect yourself! If you wish to part ways with me of your own volition, I will go, but it doesn’t sound like you’d like me to leave. It sounds as though you are forcing yourself to leave preemptively, before I supposedly do it myself.” Lithmaeien bent his knees down so that he was level with her and poked her forehead. “It’s gonna be harder to get rid of me than that, kid.” He couldn't help but laugh at her slack jaw, until she began to sniffle, at which point she shifted back into her cat form and ran back down the path to their shelter.

Celia retched and vomited as a result of her forcing her cells to rearrange themselves so soon after changing back, but it was better than crying in front of Lithmaeien. She curled up into a ball and yowled as the loneliness and rejection clawed to the forefront of her memory. For the first time in over twenty years, Naomi Reuft flickered into existence in front of her. The little girl’s smile had once made Celia feel so warm… She remembered what it had been like to play with Naomi, and how it had been so strange to receive the little golden ring from her and not feel hunger, thirst, or fatigue after a week. And then… Naomi’s horror and disgust as she ran, the betrayal in her eyes as she saw the monster for what it was… Thinking of that after all this time still brought Celia to tears.

The worst of her sobs had subsided by the time Lithmaeien finally walked through the door, but she continued to whine and hiccup as tears continued to fall. “Silly kitty, it’s OK to be sad when you’re feeling sad. C’mere.” He scooped up the tiny cat into his arms and stroked her gently. “It’s not good to bottle up your emotions like that.” He booped her nose again. “You must’ve been so scared and lonely when they left you. I’m sorry they were so cruel. I promise I won’t leave; I will always be by your side. You are defined not by your abilities, but how you use them. And you use them to protect people. And to be adorable.” She mewed at the last statement. “So don’t worry about my rejecting you, since it’s not going to happen.”

She slept on top of him that night, afraid that what had transpired was a mere dream. Lithmaeien’s snoring reminded her vaguely of her father’s purring and helped her calm down. Despite the fact that that she only needed two hours of sleep per night, she enjoyed the warmth and comfort of settling down in a warm place and just relaxing. However, she rarely sought live comfort, only seeking it when she was feeling particularly squishy or if something emotionally taxing had happened. When she finally settled into sleep, she felt herself slide off him as he rolled over, and… the warmth of arms wrapping around her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was going to take things slow with these next few parts but I have so many ideas for AUs and headcanons that it's getting increasingly difficult to keep myself to the backstory part so I may end up glossing over some parts to finish Celia's backstory before moving on to the really interesting stuff XD "OTL
> 
> Also, this part was written waaaaaaaaay before I'd even thought of writing Cinderpelt so the style's probably really really different. Sorry! "OTL
> 
> As always, constructive criticism would be much appreciated!


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